Despite Appearances
by chickenwire
Summary: Tenten stared up in horror as a mixture of water and gravy came splashing down on her head from the upturned table, "OH MY GOD! I'M SO SORRY!" Kankurou screamed. Why did embarassing things ALWAYS happen to her! NejiTen KankTen GaaTen
1. Oh no

**Despite Appearances **

Tenten stared at Lee in horror. She _must _have heard wrong. Lee wasn't known for his intelligence, but he wasn't _this _insane; it was _impossible _for anyone to be _this _insane!

"_what _did you say?" She asked, because she _had _to have heard wrong.

"I said, Tenten-chan, that Gaara-san will be joining us in our training today!"

The boy sounded very happy about the fact that a _homicidal maniac _would be fighting with his _homicidal sand_ and would probably _homicidally kill _them!!

"Lee! He almost _killed _you!"

"But Tenten-chan, he also saved my life one time, remember? When Naruto-kun went off to try and save Sasuke the first time!"

"Hai, but –"

"And he's the Kazekage now! Don't worry, Tenten-chan, he can control himself a lot better now! He won't cause any harm to anyone!"

"What did Gai-sensei say about this?" says the quiet, stoic voice of Neji, who had _finally _decided that it was worth his time to speak.

"He said it would be a youthful thing to do!" Lee said, with his usual flare that Tenten either loved or hated. At the moment, she _despised _it. How could he be so happy when…when…when a crazy red-headed maniac was about to slaughter them all! She looked at Neji – he _had _to disagree with letting Gaara come, he was her only hope of survival!

"Well, if Gai-sensei said it was alright, then I'll fight with him." Neji said finally, getting him from his meditation position under the tree.

They were in their old training grounds. Tenten could still see the marks from Neji's juuken, Lee's stumps where he had smacked down trees with his kicks. The few trees remaining were littered with scars from her weapons.

Tenten can't help but find it ironic that the place that she first started her days as a ninja would be the place where it ended.

"Lee, I am _not _going to train with you if he come—"

"Gaara-san!" Lee's voice interrupted her, "Over here!"

Tenten felt a whoosh of air. She glanced to her side to see the boy standing next to her. He had grown remarkably since their last meeting – he was actually _taller _than her now. He still had the large panda-eyes, though they seemed more relaxed then last time. He still had the huge gourd on his back, and Tenten could _still _smell the blood.

"Thankyou for allowing me to train with you." He said. His voice was still the same – emotionless and deep.

She didn't care _what _Lee said, this guy was _still _a maniac.

"It's no problem, Gaara-san!" said Lee with a grin, smacking him across the back. Tenten winced. Was Lee _trying _to get them killed?

Oblivious, he continued to talk, "Fight me first, Gaara-san! Tenten and Neji will train with each other, and with you later, if you want! Training is how men bond! It will be great fun!"

Tenten was about to shout at Lee for mistaking her for a male _yet _again, but Gaara looked around and his eyes met hers, and she was silenced.

"I would like that very much," he said, turning back to Lee and walking towards him, gesturing to the training grounds to show that he wanted to begin, hiding his face from her.

Tenten gulped. She _knew _what those eyes had said – she'd seen them the first time she fought Neji. They said, 'I'll annihilate you, I'll defeat you, you're dead.'

Put simplest, he had just told her, 'you are going _down_.'

**AN: Yes, a NEW STORY! And it's a crack pairing! No hate for it, please. It was suggested, and I took the challenge! I like Tenten's lack of screentime, I can take advantage of it and maul her character to peices! Mwaaha! I hope you all liked it, sorry the chapter was short. **

**Um...it'll be a chapter story, like Exception was, maybe longer. Um...nothing else to say. I have a poll on my page now (yay self advertising! xD!) so vote on it if you want...because...yeah. I want another chapter story up, you see, but I don't know what pairing you'd all prefer. So, check it out (if you care, if not I'll do coin flips xD) **

**Review please **


	2. Ouch

"Tenten, are you feeling okay?" asked Neji.

Usually, Tenten would be very surprised (and suspicious) of him actually showing concern, and would have asked him if he was sick. Today, however, she was far too concerned about the homicidal, crazy red-head who was going to completely…going to…God, she didn't know what the _hell _Gaara was going to do, but she _knew _it was bad and she _knew _it would freaking _hurt! _

"I'm fine Neji," she said, but of course, she _wasn't _fine, she wasn't fine at all! She didn't understand how Neji and Lee could be so _calm _about the whole thing!

She yelped as a fist came her way and smacked against her shoulder. Tenten back flipped and came to land a foot way from where Neji had struck her. Thank _GOD _he hadn't had any chakra flowing, or…

"I think we should perhaps stop sparring for now," Neji said with a frown, "you don't seem to be paying attention."

Tenten turned back to Neji, feeling guilty, "Gomenasai, Neji…I'm a little distracted today."

Neji frowned. "I noticed."

He walked towards her as she picked herself up from her kneeling position, touching her shoulder lightly and inspecting her bruise (which damn well _hurt, _she might add!), "It's not serious, luckily." He looked back at her, and Tenten _swears _she actually sees _worry _in his eyes, "Usually, you would have blocked that with ease."

Tenten nodded, but to be _perfectly _honest, she wasn't paying attention. Instead, she was staring at the boy with red hair, as he tried to knock her escentric, green-clad teammate off his feet with his murderous sand.

Lee seemed blissfully unaware of the fact that the boy was trying to kill him. In fact, he seemed to be _enjoying _the ordeal of having to kick, punch, and try to get past that destructive wall of sand. Tenten glanced at Gaara, and felt her mouth come open – the boy was _smiling_.

Gaara of the sand, the Kasekage and renowned _psychopath _was smiling a genuine smile. He looked completely happy, completely relaxed, and completely and utterly fantastic. Watching him, Tenten couldn't help but blush. God_damn, _He looked _hot _when he smiled!

"Tenten?"

Neji's voice brought her back to the real world. She turned her head to look at him, "Ah, sorry Neji, I didn't hear you…"

"Gaara came here to _escape _the fangirls, you know, Tenten-san." He said, interrupting her. Tenten gulped – Tenten-_san?_ He was using a suffix?

Tenten _knew _he was angry at her now!

"Sorry, Neji, really, I –" Tenten's apology was interrupted by a shout to her left. Lee and Gaara stopped sparring, and herself and Neji turned to see Yakamana Ino walking towards them. Tenten glowered – it wasn't fair that Ino got that gorgeous blonde _long _hair, and that beautiful figure. None of _her _team mates would mistake her for a guy…then again, Tenten suspected that if they _did,_ they'd be pummelled into the ground.

"Hey!" she said, with her usually perky smile. Neji stiffened beside Tenten, and once again she found herself wondering exactly _what _it was about Ino that made Neji hate her so much.

"Ino-san, hello!" Said Lee, grinning back at her, "what are you here for?"

"Tsunade-sama wants you and Neji for a mission," she said.

Lee looked agast, "But I am sparring with Gaara-san! And so is Neji! And so is Tenten! And then we were to go out and get cecream and ramen, and take part in youthful activities on Gaara-san's day off! I promised!"

Tenten looked at Lee surprised – it was Gaara's day off from his Kazekage duties? She didn't know you could even _do _that. And besides, who would spend their one day off in God knows how long with _them? _

The boy really _must _have no friends. She felt a little sorry for him. She looked at him...he looked...well, he didn't look like anything. She couldn't tell what he felt now. The smile was gone and the usual angry look was still there. Tenten bit her lip - evil Gaara was back and lusting for blood.

Then, she realised what Ino had said – they had a mission! Tenten breathed a sigh – she was saved from a painful, grain-filled death, all thanks to Tsunade-sama.

"Maa…Tsunade-sama only asked for you and Neji, Lee-san," Ino continued, "so Tenten could stay here with Gaara and show him around…"

Tenten stared at her. Wait – what? She had to stay? Alone? With a crazy murderous psychopath!?

Tenten caught Ino's eye and attempted to give her the mental message _'please, God, don't leave me with him! Please! Please!' _but unfortunately, Ino seemed to have issues with reading people and their emotions – instead of understanding what Tenten said, she winked at her and mouthed, 'I hope you two have fun alone!'

On the bright side, Tenten now knew why Neji hated Ino.

Lee turned to Gaara, "is that okay with you, Gaara-san?"

He glanced at Tenten, then back at Lee, "Hai – that will be fine. I do not mind – we can arrange a dinner ourselves at some other point. I will enjoy spending time with Tenten-san."

Tenten seemed to be the only one who knew the hidden meaning to his word – I will be happy to spend time with Tenten…so I can _kill _and _murder _her _dead! _

"Maa…I guess it's okay then," said Lee, forlorn. Tenten hoped for a moment that, perhaps, he would change his mind and decide to stay, but alas, fate was determined to work against her today.

"Come on Lee," said Neji, walking quickly away from Tenten and grabbing Lee by the arm, pulling him in the direction of Ino. Tenten winced, not even a goodbye! Man, Neji was really taking it hard. The two reached Ino, and she was filled with a strange unstoppable urge to run at them screaming.

"Neji! Lee!" Tenten almost yelled, in a voice that was abnormally high. She felt everyone's eyes on her, and immediately felt self conscious.

"…have…fun…" she finished lamely.

"Hai! Enjoy your time with Gaara-san, Tenten! Remember to make him try passionfruit icecream - it is youthful, and he has never tried it before!" Lee yelled back, and then, in a flash of purple, white and green, the three were gone.

Gaara and Tenten stood in awkward silence. One minute passed. Then two. Then three.

Tenten tried to think of a way to subtly hint that they should go somewhere public, so it would he harder for him to kill her. Unfortunately, subtlety wasn't her forte, "So, how about we go into a public place and do something with a large group of peop—" Tenten began to say, but was interrupted.

"Let's spar now." Gaara said. He gave her that same look he gave her when they first made eye contact, and in the unlikely case she had misread the gaze, she now knew for sure that he had something nasty in store for her.

Tenten felt her blood pressure rise.

She was going to die, and she hadn't even organised a will yet.

* * *

**AN: **sorry about the long time it took to update, but if you read my profile, you'll get it. Here we are - another chapter. Now the plot starts, hurrray! Prepare for fluff in the future...actually, that's probably a little distant, but anyway, it's there xD

**Also,** it'll probably be a threesome pic! as in NejiTenGaa! Hurray - the agnst! The love! The drama! The boy-fights! xD! Do you all like that idea, or should it be scrapped? I don't mind either way. It could also be KankTenGaa, but that's a bit cruel. So I'll only do that if I get 15 reviews telling me it's a awesome idea. NejiTenGaa I'll do if I get more then one xD!! Unless there's strong oposition. So - which is it/is it a good idea?

I hoped you liked it! YAY!


	3. Waitwhat?

* * *

Tenten gulped.

Gaara stood in front of her, his arms crossed, sand gourd on his back, face straight, deadly sand behind him in a huge wall of blood, pain and death that could defend and attack at the same time, and here she was with seven weapon scrolls, three ninja-stars, five Kunai and an exploding tag.

Weapon mistress or not, she was _no _match against evil sand.

"Are you ready?" asked Gaara, his eyes catching hers again. She shuddered – she _hated _those eyes, with those huge dark rings that reminded her of caves and nightmares…and oddly enough of panda bears.

"Hmm!" Tenten replied, even though she obviously _wasn't_. Still, if she was going to die, she was going to die at least looking like she had some guts in her!

"Okay. We start. Now."

Sand surged at her. She let out a gargle-like scream and jumped to the left. The sand followed. Swearing, she dodged again as it rushed at her feet. She glanced at Gaara. If she got to him, then maybe…but then he had that stupid sand following her! She had to figure out how to get it away from her…

Sand shot past her elbow and grazed it.

She had to do something _now_, or he'd defiantly kill her.

She threw her Kunai at him. The sand came away from her, catching them before dropping them to the ground, making them useless. Tenten grabbed the exploding tag from her pocket and, activating it, attached it to a ninja star and sent it flying at him. Gaara's eyes widened. The sand wrapped itself around the thing before it could even explode.

Gaara's eyes met hers, and she gulped even harder. He was going to _slaughter _her!

She jumped backwards as sand came to grab her feet. It lunged for her a second time and she jumped backwards again. She noticed Gaara's eyes widen slightly. She jumped back again…

…and the sand didn't follow.

Tenten blinked at him, confused and disbelieving, as she flew through the air away from him. He couldn't be _scared _of her – she hadn't done anything to him yet! Maybe she had realy improved since last time he saw her! Maybe Lee and Neji had come back, and he couldn't kill her with people there to see it happen! Maybe -

And then the back of her head hit a tree's truck with a _SMACK_.

* * *

Tenten slunk to the ground, back pressed against the tree, feeling dazed. There's a pain in her head, but she can't remember _why. _

She gasped – Gaara! The red-headed psychopath was around here somewhere, she had to get up, she had to get out of here, she was a sitting duck, here against the tree. She attempted to move, and her head swam. Sticky liquid slid down her neck.

_Crap_. She'd cut the back of her head open.

"Don't move." Said a voice to her left. Tenten felt her heart slam against her chest. Glancing to the side, her eyes met the all too familiar unfeeling blue. Her face was right in front of his, inches apart. She began to find it hard to breathe.

_He'sgoingtokillme. He'sgoingtokillme. He'sgoingtokillme. He'sgoingtokill. _

"Okay." She replies. The blood speeds up. Grains of sand filtered between him and her, altering her line of vision.

_He'sgoingtokillme. He'sgoingtokillme. He'sgoingtokillme. _

She was bleeding from a gash in her head, which she had gotten from running _into a tree_ of all things_. _There was a homicidal maniac in front of her, about to kill her for good, _AND _she had just broken the number one rule in the Ninja handbook – _look where you are going!! _

In this situation, there is only one thing you can do to make the situation _more _embarassing. And Tenten does it.

She faints.

* * *

Tenten wakes up in a white room. For a moment, she is sure it is heaven, and Saint Peter would be coming in at any minute to ask her how she was.

Then she remembered that even if there _was _a heaven, there was _no _way she'd go there.

Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes. Nervously, she touches her head - there's a bandage across the back of it - well, at least she wasn't bleeding all over everything now. She looks around the room. It was small, with one window, a desk, a bed, and a wardrobe. It was pretty clean, though there were some clothes on the floor. A T-shirt and jeans…and…and _boxers?! _

Her blood begins to go cold. And so does her shoulders, oddly enough. She looks down and screams, grabbing the covers and pulling them over her chest. What the _hell _had happened to her shirt?!

"Hey, Temari, why are you in my—" said a very male voice, opening the door. A boy in a towel came through the door, looking very angry. Then, spotting Tenten, he stopped, mouth open.

Tenten stares at Kankuro, and he stares at her.

One second passes. Then another. Then another.

Then, Tenten realised where she must be.

_HELL! _

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

* * *

**AN:** Did you like it? Sorry it took a while, but you know, stuff. It will be...a FOURSOME! NejiTen, GaaTen and KankTen abounds! Though the KankTen will probably be mostly friendship and stuff. This has a LOT of tense issues, I am so sorry. I will fix it later. I REALLY have to do my lit essay! xD! I procrastinate too much.

Ah well, I like this story. But yay - new chapter! You'll have to wait a little for the next. I really need to work on homework now...hope you liked!

chickenwire


	4. Oh My god

**Chapter Four: Oh. My God. **

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

"What the _fu-_" Kankuro began before being cut short by Tenten screaming again, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE??" Tenten grabs the pillow behind her and throws it at him, "GET OUT! GET OUT!"

Kankuro steps towards her, arms raised, "Hey, hey, I just need to get some clothes!"

He took another step towards her, however it seemed that the combination of moving and removing his hands from hoisting up the towel resulted in dreadful circumstances. Tenten watched, to horrified to look away, as the fabric fell to the floor.

Tenten went bright red.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

Kankuro looked down then up again, face red, "SHIT!" he grabs the towel and wraps it around himself, "nonono! I swear, I didn't mean to do that!"

"GO AWAY!"

"Wait, I can explain, it was an acciden—"

"_GET OUR OF HERE NOW!" _Tenten screams. She leans down the side of the bed and grabs a sneaker, throwing it at his head. Kankuro swore and dodged, gave her one last frantic look before running out the door and slamming it shut.

Tenten stared at the door, breathing hard. That was _it_, she was getting out of here before he came back!

She got out of the bed, pulling the covers with her, looking around for her clothes. They had to be here _somewhere! _As she was looking, carefully avoiding the boxers with her feet, she heard voices outside the door. She began to look faster, panicking. They were going to come in and kill her or worse, they'd…they'd…

"YOU **BAKA**!" Screamed a high-pitched voice. A smack and a yell sounded behind the door. Tenten backed away as it was wrenched open by a very scary looking woman, "I am _so _sorry, Tenten-san," she said, "my stupid _brother _here decided to come in without consulting me or Gaara about what happened when he was out!"

Tenten nodded and took a step back again. She knew this girl, she's almost _murdered _her at the Chuunin exams a few years back!

"It's my room!" said Kankurou defensively, coming to the doorway as well. Tenten gulped – she was in the same house as two murderous homicidal…

He turned to look at Tenten, lowered his eyes, and blushed again.

Murderous homicidal PERVERTS!

Tenten pulled the covers closer around her body. Today was turning out to be the most mentally destroying experience of her life.

"Temari-san? Kankuro-san?" asked a horribly familiar voice. Tenten's mouth fell open as a familiar green-clad boy came walking through the door.

"TENTEN?!" cries Lee with surprise, "WHERE ARE YOUR CLOTHES?!"

"Lee, what are you talking about?" says a voice, Neji appearing at his side. Neji turns and his gaze meets hers. She watches as his eyebrows quirk up in surprise, and his eyes slowly drift down her body as a blush appears on his cheeks, "Tenten?"

Tenten stares as the ensemble in front of her. Oh. My god. This could not _possibly _get worse.

"Lee-san? Neji-san?" says yet _another _voice, and a certain red-head appeared at the door. He meets Tenten's gaze with ease

"Ah, I see you've found Tenten-san. That was the reason I called you here. She bumped her head."

"Yes, I bumped my head," said Tenten, frustration rising with her embarrassment level, "I bumped my head and it started bleeding, that I understand." She clenches the fist that isn't tightly holding the blankets around her body and she feels her cheeks heat up the way they usually do when she's about to loose it. She notices Lee and Neji slowly take a step back.

"I do not _see _however," she fixes Gaara with a deadly glare, "why that means you have to _strip me _of my _clothes _and put me in your perverted brothers _bed—"_

"Hey, I'm not a perv-"

"AND PUT ME IN YOUR PERVERTED BROTHERS BEDwith _NO IDEA _where I am!!"

"You were in Kankurou's bed?" Asks Neji. She glances at him. He shoots Kankurou a death glare, and the boy gulps.

Temari glances around and gives a nervous laugh, "Haha, well, _this _certainly is awkward! I'll go get your clothes, Tenten-chan, they should be cleaned by now, and then we can all discuss this over tea down stairs!"

* * *

The six sit around the dinner table. Kankurou glancing around nervously as Neji shot mental daggers at him from his seat opposite. Tenten glances around from her seat between him and Lee (having no say in the matter, of course, she would _much _rather have sat Temari, who was at _least _a girl and would sympathise with her being discovered naked by four boys).

"…And she ran into a tree," Gaara finished, sipping the tea with his eyes closed.

"Is this true?" Neji asks her with a raised eyebrow. She nods, refusing to speak to him after the eye-roaming incident. Kankurou snorts but stops when Temari slaps him over the head.

"How serious is the wound?"

"It's _fine_," Tenten says, and really it was, her head didn't hurt at all anymore and the cut had healed over. It was perfectly fine.

"It was bleeding heavily," said Gaara, "but it's alright now. Temari knows some basic healing, she was able to clean the wound, and then she removed and washed Tenten-san's clothes, due to them being covered in blood."

"I still don't see why that was necessary." Tenten muttered.

"They were covered in blood," Temari explained, "They were pretty bad. I thought that you'd prefer clean clothes to get changed into, after you slept."

"Oh, you shouldn't have bothered, Temari-sama," Lee says, drinking from his cup, "Tenten gets blood on her clothes quite a bit!"

Tenten feels her skin go clammy. She glances at Lee. No, he _wouldn't_.

"At least once a month she gets her pants bloody! I'm not sure _how _it happens, but usually we're sparring and then she looks down and says, 'CRAP not _again_' and storms off! It's very odd."

"Lee." She says, with deliberate warning. She can see Neji next to her clenching his teeth.

"It's alright Tenten-san, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, we're all a little clumsy and you do have all those sharp kunai in your belt. You're usually quite prepared for it now, though, it hasn't happened for a while, and nothing so bad as the _first _time you started bleeding at training—"

"OH MY _GOD_ LEE! Please, PLEASE can you _SHUT UP_!" Tenten screamed, placing her head on her lap, face burning.

"But Tente-"

"Lee." Neji fixed him with a deadly gaze, "Just stop speaking. Now."

Temari snorted and Kankurou looked everywhere else but at them. Tenten willed for something to come up from the ground and eat her whole. A few minutes of incredibly awkward silence followed. Lee, never good at silences, decided to intervene.

"We were lucky that Tsunade-sama allowed us to come and visit you before we headed off, I was very sad to cut our day together short. It is very lucky that Tenten is here as well, so we can all say goodbye. Neji really wanted to say goodbye to you, Tenten-san, he felt bad for leaving you," Lee said with a grin. Tenten looked at Neji with surprise.

"Lee. I told you to shut up." Neji whispered angrily. Lee, oblivious to any sound other then a yell, continued relentless, "Neji-san tried very hard to persuade her to take you on the mission, instead of Sakura-san, but--"

Lee was silenced with a particularly hard kick by Neji.

"With her injury, it would be impossible for her to go anyway." Gaara says quietly, "It is much better she stays in Konoha."

"Yes, yes!" Lee agree, "Thankyou very much to taking care of her, Gaara-sama! Without you, Tenten would probably still be under that tree, dying from blood loss."

Tenten was about to say she wouldn't have gotten hurt if Gaara hadn't tried to _murder _her, but was interrupted when Kankurou slamed his cup down, "I still don't understand why _no one _thought it was a good idea to tell _me _all this had happened! That was my personal room that she invaded there—"

"When are you going on your mission?" Gaara asks Neji, interrupting his brother.

"We have to leave in three hours."

"_Excuse me_," Kankurou continued, raising his voice louder, "I said, _Why_ didn't anyone ask me if I _wanted _to have my room invaded by a stranger?! And a _naked _one at that!"

Neji turns on him sharply, "what do you _mean_ naked?"

The air crackled. "You should probably leave now then, if you want to be ready on time." Gaara says, meeting Neji's eyes. They stay that way for a few minutes.

Neji nods, "Come on Tenten, Lee, we're leaving."

They both rise out of their seats, Tenten careful not to make eye contact in case she dies from embarrassment on the spot. She bows down low, "thankyou very much for your trouble."

"No trouble at all." Temari says with an amused grin.

"I am sorry, Gaara-sama," said Lee with a sad smile, "Neji and I will be out of town almost the entire time you are here!"

"That is unfortunate." The red-head said, and Tenten thought that perhaps he _meant _it, his expression slightly more mournful then usual.

"But!" He continued, "Tenten is here the _entire _time, so she will be happy to spend time with you and your family!"

Tenten twitched. No. No way in _hell, _not after what Lee just put her through! They knew more about her then she ever _wanted _them to know – especially Kankurou!

She glared at Lee. There was _no _way she was agreeing to this! But Lee stood there, smiling with his idiotic happy smile, and Tenten felt her will breaking.

"Th…that would be fun." She says, though she knows it will be the exact opposite.

"Hai." Said Gaara.

Lee beams at the two of them. Neji frowns, "come."

Tenten nods and together, the three of them walk out, Tenten making a mental note to kill Lee next time he spills secrets about her personal life – whether he means it or not. They get outside the house and down the street before Neji spins and glares at her.

"Tenten?"

"mm?"

"We need to talk."

"About what, Neji?" asks Lee.

"I need to talk to Tenten _alone_."

Alone? With Neji? Who is most defiantly angry at her, judging by his 'I'm going to kill you' gaze? She gulps. Epic crap.

* * *

AN: **!! I'm back, was that good? Did it meet expectations? Did you LIKE it?! I'm worried I lost my touch xD but hopefully it'll come back. **

**Here's a mental destruction chapter for you. I actually had a proper plan for this chapter, but I forgot it, so I improvised (A lot) and came up with this. Expect more frequent updates - I'M FREE BABY! NO MORE EXAMS!!**

**Actual plot and lovey-dovey will happen soon, don't worry. If you want to make my happy, reviewing is always good. You can tell me how bad this story is xD! **

**Thanks all! Hope you like(d) and sorry about tense changes. I don't know what I was on, either. **


	5. Bye

Lee gave them a farewell (giving Tenten a sympathetic look behind Neji's back) and turned and took off towards his apartment and the Hyuuga compound, to retrieve his and Neji's clothes and supplies for their mission. Neji stood in front of Tenten in stony silence, and she visibally shrunk underneath his gaze.

She _knew _it was mean, but his pupil-less eyes _really_ freaked her out.

"Are you hurt?" he asks finally. She blinks up at him – hadn't they just covered this?! And besides, why did he care anyway?

"Tenten, I asked if you were hurt," Neji repeated, stiffening his back. Tenten bit her lip, Neji was showing all the warning signs of getting very, very angry. She had better do something quick, or no doubt he would decide to have a 'training' session with her before he left, "Yes, I'm fine Neji, see," she turned her head for him so he could see the healing wound. After a few seconds, she turned back around and was taken aback at the closeness of Neji's face to hers. She blushed. Perhaps she should have checked if he had stopped looking before turning…

Neji reaches up and touches her neck. He stays there a moment and Tenten feels her breathe catching, before he pulls his hand away and takes a step back.

"I'm sorry I allowed that to happen. You could have been seriously hurt, and I did not even farewell you before I left."

"It's…fine…" Tenten blinked at him and raised an eyebrow. Neji was being very…thoughtful today, actually seeming to care. There was something up. Perhaps it was because it was the first mission he had gone on without her since the Sasuke retrieval? Lee, Neji and herself had been together for the last three years, even when Neji became a jounin. She expected he hated the fact he would be alone with Lee and hear his love-sick pinings for Sakura.

"No. It is not."

"Neji..." She begins but is silenced by a look. He regards her for a moment, "I also apologise for leaving you with them. I had thought the Kazekage would be more respectful, but after meeting his brother…" He sighs and runs his hands through his hair, "You don't have to show them around Konoha." He says.

"Yes I do! I promised!"

"You've never been good with promises."

"I promised _Lee_!" She said, putting emphasis on the boys name. Neji frowned at her, but she knew he understood. Lee was stupid, annoying, strange (in more ways then one) and completely tactless, but there was something about him that made you want to do anything he asked of you.

Including going to a homicidal maniacs house.

"I still do not think you should go."

"Well, I'm going to."

He looks at her, exasperated, "Tenten-"

"You can't tell me what to do, Neji," she says, feeling herself getting fired up, "I want to help Lee, and I'm going to show them around okay?!"

She stares at him, ready to fight, but she knows he won't pursue the matter. Neji wasn't one for conflict. Still, part of her hoped he would forbid her from going so she'd have no choice.

"Okay." He says resentfully. 'Oh well,' she thinks, 'so much for that.'

They stand like that for a moment, Tenten shuffling nervously and Neji his usual stoic self. She heard him sigh. He looked up at her and for a moment Tenten thought he was going to say something else, but he just leant forward and touched her lightly on the forehead.

"We'll be back in a fortnight," he said softly.

She blinked. She stared at him. They stood like that, his palm on her head, for what seemed like ages. Tenten couldn't remember Neji _ever _being this…well, this affectionate, she supposed. Neji never acted like this. She glanced up into his (slightly freaky) eyes and bit her lip. He wanted her to say something.

"I guess I'll have to train with Gai-sensei alone," she said with a grin, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Gai's coming too."

"What?!" She stepped back, breaking contact with his palm. TWO Jounins and two chuunins at Lee and Sakura's level? This mission wasn't as simple as it had seemed. Her blood went cold. Maybe this mission was S-rank.

"Neji," she says and hears her voice quiver, "what type of mission are you going on?" Neji opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted.

"NEJI! COME, WE MUST EMBARK ON OUR JOURNEY!" called a voice behind her. She eeped and turned around. Gai-sensei stood in all his glory, Lee behind him who was looking slightly sheepish. He mouthed a sorry in her direction, and she shook her head to show her and Neji had finished talking before she realised he wasn't actually looking at her. She glanced at Neji behind her then back at Lee, perplexed.

Gai-sensei strode up and placed a hand on her shoulder, "I am sorry you cannot come, Tenten, but next time I am sure you will!" He gives her a grin and raises his thumb, and she is filled with relief. There was no way Gai-sensei would allow Neji, Lee or himself to get hurt. And Sakura was a good medic. Nothing would go wrong...she hoped.

"Come Neji, let us leave now!" He grabs Neji's arm and begins to pull him, "Goodbye, Tenten, until we meet again!"

"Gai-sensei!" She calls. He stops and looks at her, as do Lee and Neji. Tenten gulps, feeling her eyes water, "You promise you'll come back?" She glares carefully at Lee and Neji, whom she knows are too apt to give up themselves for others, "_All _of you?"

"Of course, Tenten-chan!" Cried Lee, ever exuberant, giving her a bone-crushing hug. Gai-sensei pats her head awkwardly, and Neji just brushes her fingertips with his. Tenten gulps and realises how much she depended on these insane team mates of hers. God, they were her best friends.

Even when thinking that, she knew it was incredibly sad. Two people who confused themselves with green tree frogs and a boy who thought smiling was above him were _not _everyone's idea of ideal companions. Still, like she could talk, she still had the same hairstyle from when she was two.

"We must be off!" Gai cried, breaking the silence. They carefully disentangled and Tenten gave them a smile, "See you later!"

The group nodded in response. They turned and began to walk away, Neji glancing over his shoulder. Tenten sighed. At least she would be able to get a little rest now they were gone. As they reached the corner Lee turned back to her, "TENTEN-CHAN?!"

"HAI?"

"DO NOT FORGET YOU HAVE DINNER WITH GAARA-SAN, TEMARI-SAN AND KANKUROU-SAN TONIGHT!"

She blinked.

What?

She saw Neji glance at Lee sharply and grab his shoulder roughly. Before the three of them vanished into nothing, Lee cried back, "DON'T FORGET, TENTEN-CHAN! YOU PROMISED"

Tenten stared. She was going to see them again THIS soon?! She just wanted to sleep and pretend NOTHING happened. It was mentally destroying enough at it was now her team (and, she realised, her only real friends) had decided to up and leave WITHOUT having to go back and reminisce about Lee telling them about the first time she got her period!

No. She wouldn't go. She'd go tomorrow instead. Lee was a good friend, but he couldn't ask her of that much. He was lucky she even agreed to doing this!

She turned around and shrieked, rapidly stepping back. Temari stood directly in front of her, shopping bags hanging from her arms, Shikamaru in tow. The girl tilted her head in amusement, "so you're coming over tonight?"

"N-no! It's okay, really, I don't want to trouble you!" Tenten said, attempting to keep the shriek out of her voice.

"Don't worry about it, crybaby here is coming over anyway since his mum is visiting some friend in rock country and his father apparently can't cook. I don't want to be the only girl there,"

Tenten glanced at the boy behind her. Shikamaru blew out of his mouth, unable to shove his hands into his pockets due to the bags, "troublesome…"

"Besides, Gaara has the next week off, he'll want to know what you have planned to do with him. He's like that – it's a kage thing," she shrugged her shoulders, "What do you say?"

The look in her eyes didn't really give Tenten an option.

"O…okay…"

"See you at six!"

As the two walked off Tenten felt a ball form in her stomach. She was going there. Again. Where there was a murder and a pervert and more embarrassing memories then she'd like to count. And there was no getting out of it.

Crap.

What the hell would she even WEAR?!

* * *

**AN: Hello everyone! I am sorry I have taken so long :( and the bad thing is, this chapter doesn't even compensate! I know it's bad, bear with me, I PROMISE that it will pick up. Next chapter is the dinner, that will be fun, and the chapter after that is when Gaara and Tenten hit the town. **

**Sorry the NejiTen was so poor as well xD it's so hard to do it in character. Stupid Neji for being all machoistic. **

**ANYWAY - I have a poll open on my page atm if you wouldn't mind voting (because self advertising is goood!) and expect the next chapter very soon! I hate this one, so I will write more fast because I want it gone. **

**Ciao bella's! **


	6. Carrot Top and Meatballs

* * *

Tenten glanced at her watch. Then back at the door. Then at the watch again. The hands read 5.57. Was it considered weird to come three minutes early to the dinner you'll die of embarrassment at?

She had hoped to get there fashionably late (not that she had _any _idea what that actually meant – ten minutes? An hour? Three seconds?!) but had arrived three minutes early instead. Maybe she should just go in? But…then again…Gaara might get angry at people who came too early. Tenten knew _she _hated it when people arrived before they said they would. If she waited though, he could get even _angrier _that she had come late.

She sighed. He'd kill her either way.

Tenten tugged nervously on her top and glanced at her outfit. She had no idea how formal she was supposed to come. After three hours (the longest she had spent on clothes _ever_) she decided that her jeans and summer training top were the best option, since they were the only things with no holes that were clean. Unfortunately, she hadn't worn either in about a year and hadn't realised how much she had grown. Her jeans were practically a second skin and as for her top…well…it past for tasteful.

_Just. _

Tenten sighed, 'I guess the pervert will like it…'

She stared at her watch again. 5.58. There was still time to leave if she wanted to, two minutes was long enough to get out of there. In fact, it was probably a good idea! It would save them setting a seat, and they didn't really like her that much anyway! She'd just apologise and send a letter or something, yeah, yeah, that'd work…

Tenten turned her back, about to run to freedom, when she felt a firm hand on her shoulder and heard the creak of an opening door.

"Where do you think _you're _going?"

Tenten turned around and looked sheepishly at Temari, who raised a threatening eyebrow, "Were you going to leave me here all alone with my brothers and the cry-baby?"

"N-no!"

"Then why were you leaving?"

"I…I…um…" Tenten searched her mind frantically for an excuse, "I realised I was a little early and decided to go and…see if I could…find any presents to bring…"

Temari glanced at the clock that was behind her, "It's six o'clock."

"Five fifty-nine…" Tenten corrected nervously, pasting on a cheesy smile.

Temari raised an eyebrow but didn't continue the argument, "Whatever. Anyway, come inside so we can start, Kankurou has a tendency to get snappy if I don't feed him at the usual times."

Tenten nodded and walked in. Temari closed the door and walked ahead of her towards the kitchen. Tenten kept her head down and prayed that the morning occurrence had been forgotten by all and that they could have a nice normal dinner with no awkwardness.

"HEY TEMARI. HURRY UP SO WE CAN EAT!" yelled the ever too familiar voice of Kankurou. Tenten made a face. Her feelings towards him weren't exactly pleasant. Temari glanced at her and gave her a wink, "You grow to love him," she mouthed.

Tenten somehow doubted it.

"I'm here, I'm here, keep your freaking pants on." The two girls walked into the room. Gaara, Kankurou and Shikamaru were sitting at the table, which was set with something that looked like a roast. Tenten inwardly licked her lips – it'd been _ages _since she last ate meat that wasn't pre-cooked in a burger. She was going to eat well tonight!

"It's about ti…me…" Kankurou stared Tenten, mouth open. He looked her up and down and Tenten felt the urge to turn around and run out of the house as fast as her legs could carry her. Gaara met her eye and she gulped.

Death glare. She wasn't going _anywhere_.

Kankurou continued to look at her, then turned to Temari, face indignant, "Why didn't you tell me that _she _was coming to dinner?!"

Tenten pondered feeling offended.

"I _did _tell you, you just didn't listen, take a seat next to Gaara, Tenten," Temari guestured to the more murderous of her brothers.

"But I would have worn something more…nice…" He guestures to his tracksuit.

"Nothing you have is nice, Kankurou, pass the roast please Gaara," Temari took a seat by Shikamaru (who looked a _little _freaked out, Tenten noticed.)

"But…"

"Drop it."

"But-"

"_Drop it._" she sent him a glare and Kankurou shut his mouth. The plate travelled around the table and when it got to her, Tenten shovelled as much meat onto it as she could.

"You know, Tenten-san, we…have more if you want it, you don't need to take it all now…" Tenten looked up at the group of people staring at her and blushed, putting the plate on the table, "Sorry."

Temari smiled at her, "Gaara was worried you were a vegetarian."

Tenten snorted loudly. The thought of her being a vegetarian was, to be frank, laughable. She realised that everyone was staring at her and bit her lip. She forgot snorting wasn't exactly normal for other people's tables. She made a mental note to stop eating with Gai and Lee as often as she did.

Everyone started to eat their meal. Tenten tried to go at the same pace as everyone else, and sighed as the tension in her shoulders slowly lifted. The meal was actually quite pleasant. If the meal continued in this blissful, unembarassing silence, maybe she _could _stand a week caring for Gaara and his (slightly dysfunctional) family.

"What are we doing tomorrow?" Said Gaara, and thus ruined her lovely relaxed mood.

Tenten thought fast – how could she cover for the fact she had not planned _anything _for the next week?

"I thought the first day we could do things you wanted to do!" She replied, at the same time commending herself for her brilliance. She saw Shikamaru smirk into his food. Stupid genius being able to read minds, he probably knew she made that up on the spot. Oh well, so long as no one else did, she didn't mind.

"I heard the hot springs were nice." Gaara replied, shifting his chair so he could look at her easier, "However I would also like to see the main street, as I have been unable to look there due to my duties."

"Oh, yes, that sounds good…" Tenten said, still happy she was in the clear for at least twenty-four hours to think of something else to do. She reached for her glass and took a sip.

"What about Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday?" He asked.

She chocked on her water but expertly managed to disguise it as a cough. Crap. Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap. He wanted the plans for all the days now?! She hadn't even thought about it! She had been too busy deciding on what to wear.

Not for the first time, Tenten cursed the fact she tended to prioritise poorly.

"There's a carnival on Thursday," Shikamaru said airily, reaching for some potatoes. She looked at him and mouthed a small 'thankyou' when no one else was looking. He replied with a shrug.

Lazy bum.

"That sounds enjoyable," Gaara agreed. He looked at her with his freaky blue eyes and Tenten realised that he was waiting for her to continue their plans. The eyes of Temari and Kankurou were on her. Temari mouthed, 'Go on!' to her, looking slightly worried. Tenten glanced back at Gaara and noticed he had become much tenser. He glowered at her under his blood-red bangs.

Her heart began to beat faster. She _hated _when he looked at her like that. She stopped being able to think. His eyes were eating her brain and turning it too mush with the fear. She had to think of something _fast_, or she'd be as dead as her dinner.

"The other days I thought should be a surprise!" Tenten perked with more cheeriness then necessary. She heard Kankurou snort but decided to ignore him, continuing to smile. Gaara stared at her.

"A surprise?"

"Y-Yes!"

"I hate surprises."

"O-oh…" Tenten licked her lips nervously, "Well then, maybe you should try it out, you might like these one!"

She blinked.

No way.

She did _not _just say that.

One second passed. Then two. Then three. By five, Tenten was feeling a _little _nervous. Temari and Kankurou exchanged looks and Shikamaru sat up straighter. Tenten began to fiddle with her fingers.

She was _so _dead.

"That sounds interesting," he said finally turning to his meal and continuing to eat. Tenten (and, for that matter, everyone else) leaned back – yes, she _wasn't _going to die!

She turned back to her delicious roast. Now she could dig in in peace! She sawed off a huge piece of meat and stuck it into her mouth. She could feel her tastebuds dancing. Meat that _wasn't _caked in grease…she'd forgotten it existed! "Thish ish _weally _good!" she said through a mouthful.

Gaara shrugged, "It is nothing special."

Tenten swallowed, "It's _brilliant_."

"See Gaara, I _told _you you were a good cook!" Kankurou said, leaning over and giving his brother a pat on the back. Gaara mumbled something and took a drink. Tenten looked from him to the other three.

_Gaara _cooked this!? She thought it was Temari!

Tenten looked at him in surprise. Well, she guessed it was true what they said. Murderers really _did _do things normal people did. Probably to throw people off the scent of their murderous murders though. Tenten took another bite of meat.

_Damn_. It was good stuff.

Shikamaru and Gaara began to talk about politics, with Temari occasionally adding in her own opinion on matters. Kankurou and Tenten looked at each other from across the table. Tenten bit her lip.

Awkwaaarrdd…

Kankurou glanced at her, "So, Tenten-san, I hope your parents didn't mind you leaving and eating dinner with us."

Her knife slid off her plate with a loud scratching sound. Her parents. God almighty.

She gulped painfully and clutched her cutlery hard. She couldn't hear anything. She looked up and saw Shikamaru looking at her with what looked like concern, Temari with confusion. Gaara shifted to her left. They'd stopped talking.

Crap. She'd made a scene. _Again. _

"They won't mind," she said in a hoarse voice, swallowing painfully and looking down at her food again. Suddenly, she wasn't that hungry.

She _hated _talking about her parents.

She could sense the motions of Temari looking over at Kankurou and Shikamaru leaning towards him to whisper something. She blushed deeper as she felt eyes on her. Goddamnit, she hated it when people did the pitying thing. True, it was her fault for acting that way, but…

The whispering stopped and awkward silence ensued.

Okay. Time to change subject.

"Um, could you pass the water?" she asked, making a mental note to take conversation classes when the timeslot opened up.

"Sure!" Said Kakurou, "Of course! Anything! You name it! Water it is!", standing up to get it. He leaned across Temari and Shikamaru, as he did so getting his leg stuck in his chair. He cursed, "Sorry," he put the jug down and attempted to shake his leg out. Unfortunately, he knocked the table as well.

The meat carving knife slid down towards her leg. Tenten yelped and attempted to move, jumping out of her seat, causing her to knock heads with Kankurou who had leaned over to prevent the whole table set from being tipped on her.

She swore and fell backwards, clutching her head, landing on the floor. Gaara blinked down at her and looked as he was about to say something to her when the carrots spilled onto his lap. Temari clenched her fists, knuckles cracking "Kankurou…"

"Oh god, I'm sorry-" Kankurou leant over further, knocking the table again. Tenten stared at the edge in horror as a mixture of gravy and water came streaming towards her, landing on her shirt and pants and head.

"Oh God, oh God, sorry sorry sorry sorry!" He walked around the table, "really, I am, really, really, really sorr-"

"No! It's fine!" She raised her hands, "Please, just…just _stay there!_"

Kankurou stopped mid-step. The room went silent. Tenten became more and more aware of the fact that the gravy water was making her already too tight shirt shrink. She felt the cut on her head burn slightly from the liquids that had poured on it.

She looked, she realised, like an idiot.

"Tenten-san…are…you okay?" Temari asked. She was shaking and biting her lip hard. Tenten realised she was trying hard not to laugh at her. Shikamaru wasn't having as much luck as she was at covering his laughter. He snorted loudly. Tenten gave him a glare.

This was _the _most embarrassing day _of _her life. She was _so _leaving.

"I'm fine, really, but I think I may…um…go now."

She carefully got to her feet, trying desperately not to slip over in the muck that lay underneath her shoes. If she slipped, she would _never _live it down. She wobbled perilously and grabbed the table for support. Kankurou came towards her with an arm outstretched, "Here, let me help-"

"No! Stay there! I'm fine!"

"But-"

"_Really_! I'm fine!"

"But-"

"Kankurou. Sit down." Gaara's cool voice broke the small argument. His brother looked at him then meekly obeyed. Gaara stood up, "The food is destroyed." Tenten looked around and realised he was right. It was either on her or Gaara or on the floor. She felt a wail reach her throat – the meat!

She turned back to Gaara and flinched. He looked…murderous. Tenten gulped. She was getting out of there before the boy decided to kill everyone with his sand of murder for pouring carrots onto his top.

Tenten stared at him.

Carrots. Top. Red hair.

She snorted loudly and clasped her hand over her mouth. Gaara's slit eyes turned to her, "What are you laughing about?"

"N-nothing!" She said through her fingers.

"Tell me." His voice grew deeper. Tenten noticed Shikamaru and Temari grow tenser behind her.

"It's not that funny really-"

"_Tell _me."

Tenten bit her lip, "Carrot…top…"

Gaara's face lost all emotion, "What?"

She pointed to his shirt and then his red hair, "Carrot top…it's…sort of like…a pun, I guess…a play on words…" She felt everyone's eyes on her, "You have red hair and carrots on your top and…so…it's literal as well as…um…" She finished lamely.

There was an awkward pause.

"**BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA! THAT IS THE LAMEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD!**" Kankurou started making hyena sounds. Temari threw her head back and gave a deep warm laugh, Shikamaru chuckled. Tenten felt herself break into a smile and looked around at Gaara. Gaara glared at her. Tenten gulped.

She had just made fun of the Kazekage.

She had to get out of there before she was murdered.

Gaara's eyes looked at her and he opened his mouth to say something. Tenten gave a mental 'eep!' Whatever he was going to say, it wasn't good.

"Thanks for having me!" She chirped, "But I think I'll be going now!"

Temari paused mid laugh, face agast, "But you're covered in gravy!"

"I'll be fine! I'll just avoid walking near Kiba's house, that's all."

She gave an okay sign and grinned widely. She realised she looked exactly like Lee. Everyone was staring at her again and she felt herself grow nervous. Why did everyone look at her all the time in this house!? She hated being the centre of attention. That was the reason she put up with Lee's green jumpsuit – less people looked at her then!

"I will see you tomorrow." Gaara muttered.

"Oh…Oh…g-good!" Tenten said, trying to mask the horror in her voice. If it wasn't _today _she would die, it would certainly be tomorrow. There was no way Gaara would forgive her.

"Bye then!" She waved and began to walk backwards. Shikamaru waved his hand at her, Temari grinned and Kankurou winked. She deadpanned. That guy was so…ugh.

She walked to the hall and reached for the door handle. She turned it and felt breathing on her neck. She gave a small scream but a hand covered her mouth. She turned slowly and saw Gaara staring at her, face expressionless.

"Goodbye…meatball head." He said.

She blinked.

_What?! _

"Goodbye _meatball head,_" Gaara said again, emphasising the…was it an insult? Tenten stared at him blankly. Gaara pulled his face into a frown, "Why aren't you laughing?"

"W…what?"

"It was a joke."

"O…oh…"

"Like your carrot top."

Tenten blinked again. What the hell was going on!? This situation was beyond confusing. She just wanted to get out of there. The boy was obviously psychotic. She moved her head so she was released from the hold on her mouth and she could speak. She had to feign laughter to escape from here, it seemed.

"Um...haha…ha! That's…that's a good j-joke Kazekage-sa-"

"Don't laugh if you don't mean it." he removed his hand from her face and took several steps back, giving Tenten breathing space again. He looked at her coolly, "Goodbye." He turned. Tenten stared at his back then at the floor, "…Goodbye…"

She grabbed the door handle, practically ripping it open. She slammed it behind her and leant against the door. Meatball head?! She self conciously touched her gravy-covered buns.

That.

Was _so _weird.

* * *

**AN: **Why yes, I _am _alive. Here's an update for you! I hope you like it. I think it's a bit better than the last chapter, I was more in the flow of the story so the characters have more...character. I attempted to put in jokes, but (as you know) my jokes are PREEEETTTYYY bad, so...I appologise now for the carrot top xD that just popped in and I had to write it.

I'm so lame.

Anyway - I update around once a month from here on. See my page for details. I'm writing 4 stories at once and I need to schedule it so they all get attention. I hope you all understand. Enjoy and I'll see you in another three weeks!

Chickenwire


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